NJ real estate: What’s $1M buy you in Chris Christie’s neighborhood?

Ever wanted to live like a king? Would settling for living in the same neighborhood as a governor do?

This week, we decided to peek in at Gov. Chris Christie's neighborhood of Mendam Township and see how far $1 million goes in one of the most affluent communities in the state. Median family incomes near $150,000, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures, helping the township crack the top-10 in New Jersey by that metric.

This home at 35 Main Street, about 2.5 miles from the governor's, last sold in 1994 for  just $280,000. Now it's going for $1.05 million — pretty close to Zillow's estimated value of $1.02 million (Trulia says similar homes sell for about $1.12 million, so again, not far off the mark).

What's that get you? Five beds and four baths (plus two half-baths) in nearly 3,800 square feet on two acres. The home was built in 1906 and features an attic, a hot tub, four parking spaces, a patio, a porch, a deck a finished basement, a fireplace, a jetted tub and vaulted ceilings. Out back, you can sit by your own private pond.

Be ready to keep paying, though. In 2015, the property tax on the home was more than $17,000, at an assessment of about $844,000.

As you'd expect in such a well-off neighborhood, a home around $1 may be nice — but it's got a lot of even nicer company. One home in neighboring Mendham Borough is going for nearly $10 million right now.